Cold
by TessaStarDean
Summary: NOW COMPLETE. Crossover with CSI Miami. JackChloe, CalleighWolf. A drug lord wants to make a trade...his freedom for their lives. Will probably be 4 chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"This sucks," Chloe muttered as she sat hunched over her laptop.

Jack glanced over at her. "It's not that bad."

She shot him a glare. "No, Jack, it really is. Remind me again why I had to come?"

He sighed. "Because we need surveillance on this house. We think a terrorist cell is being run out of it."

"I know all that," she snapped. "That still doesn't explain why _I_ need to be here."

Jack watched her for a minute, frowning. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I really didn't think it would bother you that much."

Chloe closed her eyes and sighed. "It's not you, Jack," she said. "It's just…I get nervous whenever I have to go out into the field. And I'm cold. And both of those things make me very cranky."

He gave her a small smile. "Well, I can't do anything about being out in the field, but I think I can help with the cold."

Standing up as tall as he could in the van, he took his jacket off and placed it gently on her shoulders, letting his hands linger just a little longer than necessary.

"There," he said, sitting back down. "How's that?"

Chloe tried to stem the blush that she could feel creeping up her neck and cheeks.

"Much better. Thanks."

Jack was about to respond when one of the back doors to the van suddenly opened. They both turned in surprise, but instead of a face, they instead saw a small canister being tossed inside. As it hit the ground, they heard the door close again. A small hissing sound reached Jack's ears, and he turned to see some kind of gas spilling out of the canister and filling the cabin. Something finally clicked in his head, and he realized that things had just gone terribly wrong. Fear rising in his chest, he looked around frantically, trying to find some means of escape. He hurled himself at the doors, but they were blocked from the outside. He knew that the windows of the van were bullet proof in case they were made while on a stakeout, but now they too were blocking them from leaving the van.

A cough behind him reminded him that Chloe was there as well. Jack turned to look at her, his heart dropping into his chest as she sank to the ground, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. His own legs shook and dropped him to the floor. His last thought before the blackness overtook him was that the arm that had thrown in the canister did not belong to any of the German men they had been watching the house for.

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"Calleigh."

"Hey, Horatio," she greeted him, stopping in the hall. "What can I do for you?"

He put his hands on his hip. "We just received word that a large shipment of cocaine will be coming in today."

"Do we know where?"

"No, but I find it interesting that they would choose today to bring it in."

"What's so important about today?"

"Today is the beginning of the trial against Benito Matoban."

"The drug lord?"

"Yes. He also goes by the name Cold K…his own personal joke on how many cold cases he's associated with."

"So you think they're related? His trial and this shipment?"

"Yes, I do." He paused, looking down at the ground. "What are you doing right now? Are you in the middle of a case?"

"No, actually. I just handed my evidence over to the D.A. on the Morris case. You need me to do something?"

"Yes. I want you to take either Eric or Ryan and go check out some of the harbors. See if you can find out anything about where these drugs are going to be coming in."

"Okay, will do."

"And Calleigh?" he called as she began to walk away.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure you're armed."

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"Hey, Ryan," Calleigh greeted as she walked into the break room.

"Hey, Calleigh," he said with a smile.

"You busy?"

"Actually, no."

"Good. You are now."

"Oh?"

"Horatio is sending us on a field trip."

"Where to?"

"The lovely harbors of Miami."

His smile broadened. "Sounds exciting."

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Four harbors later, they still hadn't found anything about the cocaine shipment that Horatio had gotten a tip on. But they kept going, knowing that the closer the hour of Cold K's trial came, the more likely that something would happen on the waterfront.

"That's a big boat," Ryan commented as they pulled into their fifth harbor.

"Yes it is," Calleigh agreed, setting her high-heeled boot down on the pavement as she got out of the SUV.

"Maybe they're just having a party."

"I wonder what kind of party favors they're having?" she asked, giving him a sly glance.

"We could ask."

"We could."

"Shall we?"

"Let's."

Hands resting on their weapons, the pair moved forward, letting their eyes inspect the boat as they got closer. It was quite large, almost like something out of a rap music video. But it seemed to be empty – there were no people on the deck, and no noise aside from the lap of the water against the hull.

"Excuse me," Calleigh called, raising her voice. "Miami-Dade PD. Can we talk to you for a minute?"

There was no response. Worry started gnawing at Calleigh's stomach. The silence was unsettling, and she was getting the feeling that they were walking into a trap. Stopping, she put a hand on Ryan's elbow, forcing him to stop as well.

"Hello?" she called again. "Miami-Dade PD. We need to speak with whoever's on board right now!"

A sudden movement on the right side of the deck caused her and Ryan to pull their weapons, holding them steadily in front of them.

"Miami-Dade PD!" Ryan yelled. "Come out slowly and identify yourselves!"

Two figures came stumbling into view. Calleigh's eyes widened as she realized that their hands were bound behind their back, and their mouths were gagged. The man was bleeding from a cut on his head, as though he had put up more of a fight than they had expected. The woman had dark brown hair pulled into a low ponytail. There was fear in her eyes, but a determination and anger that said she didn't plan on tolerating her captors for long.

Three men came out of the shadows then, their own guns trained on the back of their hostages' heads.

"Welcome, Miami-Dade PD!" one of the men yelled dramatically. "We've been waiting for you!"

"Well here we are," Ryan answered tightly. "What exactly did you want?"

"To propose a trade, of course!"

"A trade?"

"Yes. I'd like to introduce you to two friends from Los Angeles. This is CTU's head analyst, Miss Chloe O'Brien. And her knight in shining armor, Agent Jack Bauer!"

"Shit," Calleigh whispered. "Federal agents."

"This just got a whole lot messier," Ryan mumbled. Then he raised his voice. "What exactly do you want to trade?"

"Why, these fine federal agents, of course!"

"Cut the crap," Calleigh yelled. "Who do you want in return?"

"Benito Matoban. Cold K."

"What makes you think we can get him for you?" Ryan asked. "He's slated for trial today."

"Exactly! If you want these two agents to live, then that trial will not take place. You will bring Cold here." He cocked his gun and pressed it against Chloe's temple. "You have two hours."


	2. Chapter 2

"Cane."

"Horatio, it's me."

"Calleigh. Did you find anything?"

"You could say that. We're at the Lagalia Harbor. We ran into some of Cold K's boys."

"And?"

"They've got hostages, Horatio. Two federal agents from L.A."

Horatio sighed and took off his sunglasses, leaning against the side of his car.

"Let me guess. They want to trade the federal agents for Cold K's release."

"You got it. They gave us two hours to make a decision."

"Alright, Calleigh. I want you and Wolf to wait there. Keep an eye on them, but don't do anything yet."

"What are you going to do?"

"Find a way to save those agents."

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Jack cursed himself for being so stupid. He should have realized that there wasn't enough activity going on in the house, that they might have been walking straight into a trap. But instead he had let himself relax and be distracted by Chloe. Now her life was in danger because of his carelessness.

Looking over at her, he almost smiled at the fire in her eyes. He knew that she wouldn't give up, that she would fight against their captors tooth and nail as soon as she saw an opening. She was pissed off, and the men holding them hostage really had no idea what they had gotten themselves into.

He let his gaze roam around their surroundings. The only advantage they really had was the water surrounding them. If they could somehow put their guards off-balance and get into the water, the Miami officers might be able to provide them enough cover for them to reach the shore. He wasn't sure whether or not the Miami PD would give in to the dealers' demands, but Jack wasn't willing to trust his and Chloe's safety to the possibility that they would. They weren't supposed to negotiate with terrorists.

When he looked back at Chloe, he found her eyes locked on him. Slowly, she blinked, letting him know that she was ready whenever he was. Part of him resisted, not wanting to risk her life with a half-formed escape plan. But the rest of him knew that they didn't really have a choice – either they made a run for it, or they put their lives in other people's hands. Neither of them liked the latter choice. He blinked back.

Swinging his head back suddenly, he smashed in the face of the man holding him. The man cried out in pain, and Jack spun around quickly, kneeing him in the ground. At the same time, Chloe slammed her foot down on the instep of her captor, forcing him to grunt and loosen his grip on her. Then she backpedaled, pushing him into the third dealer. They all crashed down in a tangle of arms of legs, Chloe kicking as hard as she could and trying to regain her feet all at the same time.

Then Jack was there. Somehow, he had managed to undo the bindings on his hands and he lifted her up out of the melee. Pulling her along with him, he ran them both toward the edge of the boat.

"Hold your breath," he warned.

They jumped into the water below.

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Ryan was impressed when he saw the two agents suddenly fight back against their captors. It couldn't have been easy with their hands tied behind their backs, but somehow they had done it. As their bodies crashed into the water, the men on the boat recovered and pulled their weapons, aiming them at the two figures trying to swim away. Calleigh had her phone out immediately.

"Horatio – we need backup NOW. The suspects have opened fire. I repeat, shots fired."

Then she dropped the phone and pulled her own weapon. She and Ryan took aim, firing shots to distract the men on the boat.

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The water was colder than she expected, seeing as how they were in Miami. Her clothes instantly weighed her down and the ropes binding her hands behind her back made it nearly impossible for her to keep her head above the surface. As she gasped for breath, she felt strong arms wrap around her middle and start to pull her along.

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Bullets flew everywhere, causing Ryan and Calleigh to take shelter behind their SUV. Glass shattered and one of the tires popped as they continued to exchange gunfire.

The sound of wailing sirens reached their ears, and as they looked up, they saw their backup arriving. Horatio was out of his vehicle almost immediately, his gun drawn. Calleigh breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him, thankful that they were no longer alone. Risking a glance over the hood of their vehicle, she watched for the two federal agents that were struggling to reach the shore. The man had his arm wrapped around the woman as she tried desperately to keep her head above the water.

Pain suddenly flared in her left shoulder, bringing her to her knees. She cried out, staring in shock at the blood that came pouring out of the wound. Using her right hand, she tried to stem the bleeding as her shoulder screamed in agony.

At the sound of her cry, Ryan looked over to see Calleigh on the ground. Firing another shot at the men on the boat, he crawled to her side, dragging her fully behind the SUV. Then he laid her down gently, using his own hand to keep pressure on the wound.

"It's okay, Calleigh," he whispered. "It's going to be okay…"

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By the time Jack and Chloe finally reached one of the docks, the gunfire had ceased. Looking up, he saw a red haired man wearing all black standing above them. Wordlessly, he reached out his hand, and Jack saw that he was giving him a knife. He took it gratefully, cutting through Chloe's bonds. Then he hoisted her up, where the stranger took hold of her hands and pulled her the rest of the way. When she was safely on the dock, he reached back down and helped Jack up as well.

"Thank you," he said, his chest heaving.

"I'm Lieutenant Horatio Cane, Miami-Dade PD."

"Jack Bauer, CTU Los Angeles. This is Chloe O'Brian."

"You're a long way from home, Agent Bauer."

"Believe me, it's not by choice," Chloe snapped.

Horatio smiled a little.

"Well hopefully you won't have a negative view of Miami just because of the way you were brought down." He turned back to Jack. "One of my officers is sending word to CTU that you've been found and that you're alright. But I was hoping that the two of you would stick around for a little while, help us out with this."

Jack nodded. "I'd like a chance at the guy who ordered this."

"Understood. One my CSIs was shot in the gunfight. I think she'll be alright. But I don't take it lightly when somebody shoots at a member of my team."

"So where do we start?" Jack asked.

"With Cold K."

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"So what do you think?" Jack asked Chloe when Horatio left the room to take a call.

She shrugged. "I know you can't just let it go, Jack. So we might as well stay and do whatever we can to help. I mean, it's just taking down a drug ring, right? We've done harder things before."

He laughed. "Have I ever told you how much I love your outlook on things?"

Chloe frowned. "Are you laughing at me?"

Jack rested a hand on her arm. "Not in a bad way." He paused for a minute, his smile fading. "I'm sorry, Chloe."

"For what?"

"For getting you into this. For forcing you out into the field."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Please, Jack. This isn't your fault. Besides," she said in a quieter voice. "If I hadn't been there, I'd be sitting in L.A. right now freaking out because I didn't know where you were or if you were alright. And I wouldn't be able to help you."

Her words brought his smile back and he squeezed her arm.

"Then I'm very glad you're here."

Their eyes met as they let the other's words sink in. Jack found himself moving closer slowly, unable to stop his body.

The door behind them opened suddenly and they jumped apart, Chloe's face turning bright red. Horatio suppressed a smile as he realized that he had interrupted a moment between them. On the outside they seemed so unsuited for each other, but he was starting to see how well they fit together. But then the business at hand came to mind once again, and he sobered.

"I've just received word that there's going to be a prison break."

"Excuse me?" Chloe asked.

"It seems that Cold K's boys are not pleased with how things went down at the harbor. In order to get their boss out, their willing to stage a prison break."

"That takes some guts," Jack commented. "And some firepower."

"And I have no doubt that they have both of those things."

"So do we set a trap for them or something?" Chloe suggested.

Jack shook his head. "Too many things can go wrong in the prison – rowdy inmates, tight quarters…I think it might be better to move him."

"I agree," Horatio said. "I've set up a convoy to move to another high security prison. I was wondering if the two of you would like to come with us."

Jack answered before Chloe could get a word in.

"I'll come. But Chloe's not."

"What?" she asked incredulously.

He turned to face her. "I'm not putting you in danger again, Chloe. Besides, I need you on comm. I'll feel better knowing that you're watching my back."

"Your boss, Bill Buchanan, told me many great things about you, Ms. O'Brian," Horatio interjected. "I'd be honored if you would run comm. None of my people have much experience with it."

Chloe frowned. "Fine. I don't like it, but I certainly don't trust anybody else doing it."

"Thank you," Jack said quietly.

Horatio smiled. "Mr. Buchanan also told me of your sparkling personality. He told me you could be…difficult to get along with. And that you have a problem doing what you're told if you don't agree with it."

Chloe shifted uncomfortably. "I don't deal well with stupidity."

"That's a good thing, Ms. O'Brian. Good for us – bad for the drug dealers. They have no idea what they've gotten themselves into."

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"How's Calleigh?" Horatio asked as he climbed into the SUV.

Ryan nodded, swallowing hard. "They said she's going to be fine. Nothing serious was hit. She just lost a lot of blood."

Horatio watched him for a moment. "It wasn't your fault, Ryan."

"I know. I just can't get the blood out of my head. It feels like it's still all over my hands. Like they'll never be clean again."

"Don't worry. We'll get them, and we'll pin the shooting on Cold K. He ordered it, he bears the responsibility."

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The convoy moved through the crowded streets of Miami, their destination unknown to anybody in the department outside of those in the vehicles. Cold K was shackled and under guard in the back of one of the SUVs, a scowl on his face. Ryan kept glancing back to check on him, using every ounce of his strength to keep from pouncing on the guy and making him pay for what his men had done to Calleigh.

A red light up ahead slowed the convoy down almost to a complete stop. Ryan's eyes swept the sidewalk next to him, his gaze resting on a little girl staring through a window into a toy shop. Her nose was pressed up against the glass as she looked wistfully upon a huge Eeyore doll propped up on a little pedestal. He smiled slightly at the image, some of the tension easing out of his body.

A sudden blast in front of him dragged his attention away. He watched in horror as one of the vehicles in front of him lifted into the air, a ball of red and orange erupting from the undercarriage. Before he had time process the implications of what he was seeing, something roared to his left and their own car vaulted into the air.

For a minute it seemed as though they would stay suspended like that. Time froze, and Ryan felt as though he watched the events around him unfolding in slow motion. He saw the federal agent, Jack Bauer, get out of a vehicle, firing at something that Ryan couldn't see.

But then everything sped up as the SUV crashed down onto the pavement, this time on its side. Every bone in his body jarred, Ryan looked at Horatio sitting next to him. His chest tightened painfully when he saw that his boss was unconscious. As he reached out a hand to see if he was still breathing, the back doors were ripped open and three men came rushing in. Without any hesitation, they shot the guards around Cold K and then undid his shackles with the keys they stole from one of the bodies. They turned to exit again, when one of them noticed Ryan.

"Hey," he said, grabbing the attention of his comrades.

One man turned back and studied the CSI for a moment.

"Bring him," he said gruffly.

The next thing Ryan knew, hands were dragging him out of his seat, and a damp cloth was pressed against his nose and mouth. Though he tried to struggle against his captors, the darkness soon overcame him.


	3. Chapter 3

Horatio stared in shock as he watched Calleigh walk into the building, her left shoulder heavily bandaged. Her face was pale and drawn, but there was a glint of determination in her eyes that made people get out of her way. A few steps behind, Eric followed her, a look of frustration on his face that was clear to everyone.

"Calleigh," he said slowly when she approached them. "You should be resting."

"I heard what happened," she replied. "I can't just sit in a hospital bed when they have Ryan. I won't sit this one out, Horatio."

"I'm sorry, H," Eric interjected. "But I figured manhandling her into staying in the hospital would do more harm than good."

"It's alright, Eric." He turned back to the petite woman standing in front of him. "But I need you to be careful, Calleigh. If we get Ryan but lose you, that's not an acceptable price. Do you understand me?"

She nodded. "Absolutely. So what do we know?"

"Not much," Jack answered as he and Chloe walked into the room. "We haven't figured out who the mole is yet."

"Mole?" Eric asked.

"That's the only explanation," Chloe told him. "I checked your systems. Nobody hacked in. That means that someone who knew about the convoy told Cold K's men. That's how they knew where you'd be."

"A mole in the department," Horatio mused. "I don't like the sound of that."

"We get them all the time at CTU," Chloe muttered.

"I'm not sure that's something we wanted to admit," Jack told her under his breath.

She shrugged. "I don't think it really matters at this point."

"You've had experience with this," Calleigh interrupted. "So what do we do now?"

Chloe frowned, thinking. "I need a list of everybody who knew about the convoy. Including us and everyone who went with you guys. Then we go through their files and see who would have a reason to do this."

"We don't have time for that," Eric objected. "They have Ryan, and we have no way of knowing how long it will be before they decide that they don't need him anymore and just –"

Calleigh's face paled significantly as she realized what Eric was saying. But her voice was steady when she spoke.

"Chloe is right. It's the only chance we have right now. I'll go get Natalia. We're going to need all the help we can get."

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Calleigh could barely stand the tension that was coursing through her body. Every time she let her mind wander to Ryan and what the drug dealers might be doing to him, her stomach twisted into a hundred painful knots, and she had to fight to keep herself from being sick. She realized that her concern for him went deeper than just as a colleague or a friend, and the thought struck her hard. It had been so long since she had been able to open up to a guy again, and only once he had been taken did Calleigh come to see just how much she cared for Ryan.

Chloe could feel the worry rolling off of Calleigh in waves. She sat next to the small blonde, glancing over at her every now and then. Eric, Jack and Horatio were at the hospital, questioning the injured officers from the convoy, and Natalia had left the room to get them some more coffee. Chloe was surprised how much she found herself liking Calleigh, especially considering she disliked most people.

"It'll be okay," she said abruptly, inwardly wincing at her own hollow-sounding words.

The other woman looked up at her and smiled.

"Thanks."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

Calleigh nodded. "Yeah. I guess I didn't realize how much before today."

"He was really worried about you before. When you got shot. Kept arguing with the doctors to let him see you."

"Really?"

Chloe nodded. "Are you two…I mean…nevermind. It's none of my business."

Calleigh laughed at her lack of tact.

"It's okay, Chloe," she heard herself say. "We're not. But I'd like to."

"You should tell him."

Smirking, Calleigh turned the tables.

"What about you and Jack?"

She frowned. "What about me and Jack?"

"Are you two…?"

"No."

"But you have feelings for him."

"I do not."

"Chloe, it's okay. It's obvious in the way you two look at each other. I'm actually really surprised to hear that you're not already together."

The analyst looked down at frowned at the papers in front of her.

"Jack doesn't feel that way about me."

"Oh yes he does."

"Believe me, I'm not his type."

Calleigh reached out and rested a hand on the other woman's arm gently, ignoring how she tensed up at the contact.

"Chloe, believe me. The only thing in that man's eyes when he looks at you is love. It may not look like you fit together on the outside, but I've seen you work together and you're completely in sync. Whenever he's around you, I can see his hand twitching, like he's trying to keep himself from reaching out to touch you. That's not just a friend thing."

Chloe hated it, but she found herself believing Calleigh's words.

"You really think so?"

Calleigh nodded. "I do."

Chloe gave her a small smile.

"Okay."

They returned to the task at hand then, pouring over the files on anyone with knowledge of the convoy. They didn't put any of them aside until they were sure they could rule them out as a possible suspect, and the going was slow. But they kept moving ahead, knowing that this might be the only chance that Ryan had of getting out of this alive.

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"I've got it!" Natalia cried out twenty minutes later.

The other two women got up immediately, moving so that they could look at the file over her shoulder.

"Raymond Gutara. I pulled his financials and there are a series of pretty big deposits that don't coincide with his paycheck."

"Anything else?" Calleigh asked anxiously.

"Yeah. This morning, just before the convoy left, there was a fifty-thousand dollar deposit into his ING account."

"I'd say that makes him our guy then."

Chloe pulled out her phone and immediately dialed Jack's number.

"Bauer."

"Raymond Gutara."

"That's our guy?"

"Natalia pulled his financials. He got a big deposit this morning before the convoy got hit."

"Hang on." She heard him talking quietly with someone else, and she guessed that it was Horatio or Eric. "Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"He's here. Looks like he got injured when one of the vehicles flipped over."

"Okay. What are you going to do?"

"Whatever I have to."

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"So what do we do?" Eric asked as they headed to the room Gutara was in.

"I'm going to have a chat with him," Jack answered.

"Wait," he said, grabbing the agent's arm and making him stop. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Whatever I have to."

"You can't torture him."

Jack shook Eric's hand off and stepped closer to him.

"Look, they have your friend. And when they decide he no longer serves a purpose, they will kill him. And then they'll leave, and we'll never find them. None of them will ever pay for what they did to Ryan, or Calleigh or to Chloe and I. I'm not about to let that happen." He moved down the hall once again.

"Let him go, Eric," Horatio said.

"H, you're not really going to let him do this, are you?"

"I have no doubt that Jack is willing to do anything he has to in order to get the information we need. But I don't think it will get that far."

"Why not?"

"Because Officer Gutara didn't run, Eric. His injuries weren't that bad. He could have fled. But he didn't."

"You think he wanted to get caught?"

"I do, Eric. I do."

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Jack came striding back out of the room exactly twelve minutes later. He moved quickly, grabbing Eric and Horatio and dragging them along with them.

"Call the girls," he ordered. "They're heading for international waters."

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Their boats flew across the water, the spray soaking their faces and clothes. Off in the distance, they could see Cold K's large boat moving as far away from American waters as quickly as they could. As they neared their target, Eric hunkered down in the back of the boat, out of sight from anyone looking at the vessel head on.

"You ready?" Horatio asked, kneeling beside him.

Eric nodded.

"Alright. As soon as we slow down, slip into the water. The engines will mask any sounds you might make."

"Got it."

"And Eric? Be careful."

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"Miami-Dade PD and Federal Agents!" Jack roared. "Cut your engines and prepare to be boarded!"

"To hell with that!" someone yelled.

Gunfire erupted then. The police officers threw themselves down, taking refuge behind anything that they could. Jack was back up immediately, firing his own weapon and sending one man screaming into the water as he clutched his chest. Chloe crouched next to him, sending shots of her own up into the boat before them. Jack hadn't wanted her to come; he had done everything he could short of tying her down to make her stay back at the police station. But she had insisted on coming, refusing to let him out of her sight again until this whole thing was over. They were too far out for their comm. Units to be of any use, and she wasn't going to sit around twiddling her thumbs while he chased down the bad guys.

The gunfight raged on, with both sides taking heavy casualties. Horatio's worry began to rise as the standoff continued, and he wondered how much longer they could hold their position. They had already lost more men than he had expected, and they didn't seem any closer to overtaking their adversaries.

A sudden explosion rocked Cold K's boat, ripping the back to pieces as the air was suddenly alive with debris. Screams and cries of pain reached Horatio's ear as Cold K's men got caught in the blast, and he saw bodies littering the water along with the flotsam and jetsam. The gunfire coming from above slowed significantly, and the officers below began to gain the upper hand.

"Horatio Cane!" a voice bellowed from above.

He looked up to see Cold K standing in the bow of his boat. His eyes narrowed as he saw that he was holding Ryan in front of him, a gun pressed to the CSI's temple.

"Put down your weapons!" the drug dealer yelled. "Or I blow his head off."

Everyone had frozen, caught off-guard by the new situation. The officers kept their weapons out, but they stopped shooting, none wanting to cause the death of one of their own.

"I'm not playing!" Cold K told them as he tightened his grip on Ryan. "If you don't put your weapons down in two seconds, I swear I'll put a bullet in this boy's brain!"

"Like hell you will."

Cold K's eyes widened as a low voice came from behind him. Before he had time to turn around, a lone shot rang out and a bullet ripped through his head, killing him instantly. His body toppled to the ground as Eric stepped forward, his diver's suit still dripping wet.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey."

Ryan looked up to see Calleigh standing just inside the curtain of his "room" in the ER. After being rescued from Cold K and his men, Horatio had insisted that he go to the hospital and get his scratches and bruises looked at before going home. Now he was just waiting for the go-ahead from the doctor on duty.

"Hey yourself," he said with a smile. "I think you should be sitting here instead of me. After all, you're the one that got shot."

"It's only a flesh wound," she joked, stepping closer. "I'm glad you're alright," she said quietly.

He ducked his head, trying to hide the blush he could feel creeping up his neck and face.

"Horatio said that you checked yourself out of the hospital. After the convoy had been hit," he told her, refusing to meet her gaze.

He could see her nod out of the corner of his eye.

"I couldn't just sit around and do nothing. I was worried…about you. I needed to know that you were going to be okay. I needed to do whatever I could to get you back."

Ryan swallowed hard, looking up then, trying to read her expression. His eyes widened slightly when he realized how close she was. His mind raced for something to say, but everything he came up with sounded incredibly lame in his head.

"Calleigh –"

He was cut off by the pressure of her lips against his. Closing his eyes, he pulled her closer, nudging her lips apart and sliding his tongue into her mouth. Groaning slightly, Calleigh moved even closer, her right arm wrapping around his neck while the other snaked around his waist. Their kisses grew deeper and longer, until they finally had to pull back to catch their breath.

"Wow," Ryan breathed.

Calleigh smiled. "Come on. Jack and Chloe are leaving soon. We need to go say goodbye."

"We do?" he asked, a hint of disappointment in his tone.

"Yes," she said firmly. "You need to thank Chloe."

"For what?"

"For convincing me that I should take a chance."

Ryan smiled, rubbing his thumb along her waistline.

"I'd like to take you out to dinner tonight.

Calleigh frowned in thought.

"Mmm…I don't think so." When Ryan's face fell, she hurried to reassure him. "I think we should stay in. Order some pizza. Have a couple beers."

Her words brought his smile back as he stood up and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"I like that idea."

"I thought you might," she smirked.

888888888888888888

Horatio shook Jack's hand outside the hospital.

"Thanks for all your help, Agent Bauer."

Jack laughed. "Please, call me Jack. And it was no problem. You would have been hard pressed to get rid of us after what those guys did to us."

"Getting kidnapped wasn't an enjoyable experience for you?" Ryan asked as he and Calleigh joined the group.

"Was it for you?" Chloe retorted. Then she frowned, looking uncomfortable. "Sorry. That came out ruder than I meant it to."

Calleigh laughed and stepped up to the other woman, embracing her tightly.

"That's okay. He needs someone to put him back in his place once in awhile."

"Isn't that your job?" Chloe asked quietly as they hugged.

"It is now," Calleigh answered with smirk as she pulled back.

"It's about time."

"And what about you?"

"I've got the wait at the airport and the whole plane ride to chicken out."

"Chloe…"

The computer analyst sighed. "I know, I know. I'll try."

"Good. You'll keep in touch right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I know you wouldn't think so, but I'm actually really good at the keeping in touch thing."

"Glad to hear it."

"You've got quite a woman there, Jack," Horatio noted as they watched the two women say their goodbyes.

"If only she were mine."

"She is, Jack. I get the feeling she has been for a long time."

"I don't know."

"Stop being such a wuss and ask her out, Bauer," Eric interjected.

"Mind your business, Delco," Jack shot back, the smile on his face softening his words. He turned back to Horatio. "If you're ever in L.A., feel free to look us up."

"Thank you. And I hope you know the same goes for you, should you ever find yourselves back in Miami again."

"Hopefully under better circumstances."

"Good luck, Jack."

"Same to you, Horatio."

He and Chloe finished their goodbyes, turning to walk towards the cab Horatio had called for them.

"Hey Jack!"

The agent turned to see Eric jogging towards them.

"Look, I just wanted to apologize for earlier…when I tried to stop you from talking to Gutara. I didn't get it then. I don't think I did until I came up behind Cold and he had a gun to my best friend's head. Turns out I have a little bit more of you in me than I thought."

"When someone you care about is in danger, it tends to change your perspective a little," Jack agreed.

"So no hard feelings?"

"None."

The two men shook hands again and then Eric returned to his colleagues. Jack turned to Chloe.

"Are you done with your male bonding moment?" she asked.

He laughed. "Yeah. You ready to get out of here?"

She nodded. "Let's go."

88888888888888888888

"Well that was quite the adventure," Jack murmured as he and Chloe sat in the airport. Their plane wasn't boarding for another hour, and they had no luggage to check, so they had some time to kill.

"See why I don't go out into the field?" she asked. "Something always goes wrong and I end up in more danger by the end of it."

"It wasn't that bad though. Looks like you made a new friend."

Chloe nodded.

"I like Calleigh. I don't really know why, since I don't like people as a general rule. But we got along. We had some things in common."

"Like?"

Chloe looked down, thinking. She knew that she could either get this over with now, or feel sick for the entire flight home. She opted for the former.

"We're both in love with people we work with. And afraid to admit it."

Jack watched her carefully, trying not show the hope that flared in his chest at her words.

"I know she and Ryan like each other. That was pretty obvious. But what about you? Who do you love?"

She looked up, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

"You."

The smile was on his face before he even registered her words. They echoed in his head, bouncing around as he chased after them, trying to pin them so that he could be sure of what she had really said.

"Say it again."

Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I love you, Jack. Duh."

"Did you just 'duh' me?"

"Well, you're pretty stupid if you haven't figured out how I feel about you by now."

"The same could be said about you," he retorted.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I love you too. I thought you could see it, Chloe. I thought it was painfully obvious."

"Apparently it was. To everyone else."

"What?"

"That's what Calleigh told me. She said that everyone else could see it in the way you looked at me, the way you stood whenever you were around me. But I couldn't."

Jack smiled, moving closer to her.

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to try and be more obvious about it."

"I think that's a good idea," Chloe said, her voice shaking a little as his face moved closer to hers. "I can be a slow learner sometimes."

"Practice makes perfect," he whispered as he captured her lips with his.


End file.
